Mesa State hosted the Clarion Inn Thanksgiving Classic for games against University of Texas Permian Basin and Dixie State College. In the first home games of the season at Brownson Arena, the Mavs didn’t disappoint.
The Mavs kicked off the tournament with a 72-67 win against the Falcons of Texas Permian Basin. Texas jumped out to a five-point lead with eight minutes to go, but Mesa battled back with a 12-0 spurt of its own, and went on to win the game. The win moved Mesa to 3-0 heading into its next matchup with Dixie State.
Mesa led early against the Red Storm and maintained the lead throughout. The Mavs ended the game with a 30 percent shooting clip from the field to Dixie’s 27 percent. Mesa’s lead was as large as 10 with six minutes to go in regulation and the Mavs managed to keep Dixie at bay. Kalonji Paschal’s 13 point effort led the Mavericks in the 65- 57 win. The team finished their non-conference schedule with a 4-0 record.
The Mavs traveled to Nebraska to open up conference play with back-to-back games against conference foes Chadron State and University of Nebraska-Kearney last weekend. Chadron hosted the Mavs Friday night and did so in an ungracious manner. The Mavs took an early lead and kept it for the better part of the first half. With five minutes to go before halftime, the Eagles went on a 17-4 run. The second half started much like the first ended, as Chadron dominated the rest of the game. The Eagles shot better than 50 percent from behind the three-point line, (14-26) and gave the Mavs their first loss of the season with a 78-61 final score.
The Mavs hoped to rebound the next night as they faced Nebraska-Kearney. The Mavs started off hot jumping out to a 22-10 lead in the first half. The Mavs maintained that lead for the first 15 minutes of the second half. With five minutes remaining in regulation, the Lopers took a 58-57 lead, and never looked back. The final score was 73-65 Lopers. Mesa dropped to 0-2 in the RMAC and 4-2 overall.
The Mavs look to rebound this Friday as they come home to host New Mexico Highlands and Western New Mexico The play at 8 Friday and 7 on Saturday.
u
chughes@mesastate.edu